description Wold Cottage Overview
Wold Cottage is an L6 ordinary chondrite that fell near Wold Newton in Yorkshire, England, on 13 December 1795. Witnesses reported the stone striking the ground and excavated it from the resulting hole, providing unusually clear evidence at a time when the extraterrestrial origin of meteorites remained disputed. The event was documented by landowner Edward Topham, and the surviving main mass is held by the Natural History Museum in London.
insights Ranking position
Wold Cottage ranks #46 of 213 in the Meteorite ranking, behind Kapoeta, ahead of Alais.
help Wold Cottage FAQ
Why was the Wold Cottage fall important to the history of meteoritics?
Witnesses saw the stone fall and recovered it from a fresh impact hole in Yorkshire on 13 December 1795. This evidence helped challenge the prevailing European skepticism that stones could fall from space.
Who documented the Wold Cottage meteorite?
Edward Topham owned Wold Cottage and carefully collected witness accounts and physical evidence from the fall. He later erected a monument marking the event near Wold Newton.
What type of meteorite is Wold Cottage?
It is classified as an L6 ordinary chondrite. The L group has relatively low metallic iron, while petrologic type 6 indicates substantial thermal metamorphism on the parent asteroid.
Where is the main Wold Cottage stone now?
The principal mass is held by the Natural History Museum in London. Smaller pieces from the historically important fall are also represented in other meteorite collections.
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